Devil's Fool
by Dark Fairy of Doom
Summary: You all were foolish. You actually thought that you could destroy dozens of worlds and escape unscathed? Onyx blazed at him, mocking fire blazing in their depths. It's a shame. If you'd left Earth alone, you might just have done it.


Hi everyone!

I know that I should be working on my other stories, but the idea for this one came and wouldn't go. Since its my b-day, I've decided to finish with it as soon as possible.

Warning: Character Death, blood, vague symbolism

Enjoy!

* * *

Devil's Fool

Devastation was laid out before him, ash grey skies staring down apathetically. He was smirking with satisfaction, serrated teeth bared in pleasure. Ruby eyes glowed with grim pride, the Invader reveling in his destruction. Thin antennae twitched at the distant crackle of the burning fires, the flames casting grotesque shadows on the dust covered earth. As he began to march forward, one of the shades lengthened, shallow blackness stretching into a vaguely recognizable pattern. It stretched further, squat features moving into a more natural configuration. Thick, disproportioned limbs became disgustingly thin. A lithe torso emerged, the following neck and hands just as unnatural. Its transformation completed, the morphed shadow trailed after Zim, now in the appearance of something that greatly resembled a human.

He hummed lightly as he marched, eager eyes roving over the ruins surrounding him. His own base was all that remained intact, at least in the immediate area. He stared at it with a smug comfort, taking its presence as another testament to Irken superiority: it had withstood because it was Irken, and for no other reason. Rubies filled with cheer, he turned and continued on his makeshift quest. His victory wouldn't be complete until he reached his destination.

Cyan orbs watched the Invader leave with empty laughter. The defective SIR unit smiled in glee and raced about the undamaged living room, leaping loudly onto the couch. GIR squealed and dived for the remote, becoming encased in the cushions as it searched for the machine. With another deafening screech it emerged, remote triumphantly in hand. Smiling again, it quickly pushed a button, waiting impatiently for the images to appear on screen. It frowned in disappointment when nothing materialized. "Aw, I wanted to watch the Monkey." It pouted for another millisecond before returning to its normal hyper lightness. It tugged on its unnecessary disguise, the puppy hood falling over its metal face. It raced about the base's lower floors, yipping almost like an excited dog. It stopped when something appeared in its path, gazing at the apparition with reckless abandon. Chilled amber stared down at the robot, lifeless and dulled. The figure bent down, its own face coldly close to the others.

"We're coming" it whispered deadly, the tone flat and monotone. With a stiff smile, it vanished, blue-grey smoke left in its wake. GIR simply waved farewell, cyan scrunched in happiness.

"Bye, bye, big-headed boy."

1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-

Zim stood stock still, gazing contently around him. The street was littered with wreckage, frames of cars melted down to unrecognizable structures. Homes were torn asunder, roofs pulled free from the rest of the house, deposited yards away. Burnt holes covered the walls, only less in number to the myriad of broken windows, shattered for unknowable reasons. The glass was hidden in the grass, most likely responsible for a number of bloody footprints. Morbidly curious, he walked over to one of the bloody trails, peering down at the small marks. He glanced up and noted that the steps went on for another couple of feet, disappearing behind a nearby house. He followed them, the abundance of the crimson fluid growing with each movement. As he turned around to the back of the red home, he was greeted with the sight of a desolate garden, most of the plants now uprooted. A gnarled tree was still standing, its twisted branches reaching toward the derelict sky. A few shrubs were upright as well, though they were mostly reduced to smoking masses. He sneered at their bleak image and moved further on, the blood getting thicker.

At the trail's end was a young girl, her body lying still on its side. A pool of blood had settled at the base of her skull, staining the bright blonde strands of her hair. Her purple shirt was torn, one of the sleeves disconnected at the shoulder. Her jeans were coated in crimson, especially near the bottom, her bare feet the most probable source. From his position, he was unable to see her face. He scowled as he circled around her, coming to a stop when her expression was revealed to him. Her once lively eyes were dimmed, staring fearfully, uncomprehendingly, at the bleak sky. There was a single wound to her temple, the small hole only possible from a precise laser. '_So, one of the others must have gotten her'. _He frowned down at the corpse, slightly unsettled by the eyes that seemed to be focused upon him. He aggressively shook the thought away, dismissing it as a temporary lapse. As he walked back to the street, hollow hazel eyes watched, accusation glimmering in their depths.

He was glaring as he resumed his original intent, angry with himself for the previous distraction. If things hadn't gone to plan, any amount of misplaced time could come back to haunt him. All through his walking, the neighborhood remained silent, not a sign of life present. That gave him a boost of confidence; that had been a part of the plan: no survivors. He smirked lightly, jade lips curling back in tainted mirth. There was no way this had failed, everything, finally, had gone on without a single glitch. He was chuckling when at last he reached his destination. The laser grid out front, enabled to prevent vandalism, to protect from the paparazzi, and rapid fans, was disabled. The windows were not lit, the house eerily still. One window was completely shattered, its sill and shutters crumpled in the dirt. He cackled at the positive evidence, quickly dashing to the front door.

As he made his way into the room beyond the door, it became clear how much violence there had been. An Irken soldier lay dead in the doorway to the kitchen, blank magenta eyes narrowed in desperate aggression. His limp fingers were wrapped around the trigger of his weapon, demonstrating how close he had come to a worthwhile defense. The burns around his eyes and down his arms were enough to give the cause of death. Zim growled lowly to himself, the sound reverberating deep in his chest. How dare the human kill a soldier? Hopefully, his demise was worthy of his transgression.

On the stairs leading up to the bedrooms, he found a second corpse. This time, it was human, the hands and arms coated in emerald blood. One of the nails on her hands was torn off, leaving a gaping wound in its absence. Her clothes were almost shredded, the once black shirt barely managing to cover her chest. Her leather pants, as black as the shirt, were cut at one knee, a pale leg seen through the tear. Scarlet blood ran down her arms as well, both combining to stain the worn carpet. Amethyst hair hung in disarray, somehow without blood added. Her eyes, mercifully, were closed. Though he wouldn't admit it, seeing those amber eyes glaring at him, even in death, wasn't a comforting idea. He bypassed her, moving to go all the way up. He disregarded Gaz and left her there, not concerned, particularly, with what her fate had been.

As he moved down the upstairs hallway, he was aware of heaviness in the atmosphere. He shook it off and attributed it to stagnation of the air. He continued on, observing that portions off the walls were ripped, the bare wood of the wall beneath it visible. Pieces of the carpet were gone also, the edges of the gaps ragged and frayed. He ignored it and passed further down, halting at a familiar room. As he reached to turn the knob, his stilled, his breath coming in pants in his excitement. His antennae twitched, trying to account for the shift he had just sensed. They shuddered as the sound came again: giggling. Ruby eyes narrowed to slits as he wheeled around, peering about for the source. He became uneasy when he noticed nothing. Casting off his trepidation, he tugged the door open, stepping into the bedroom.

He slowly retracted his hand from the knob as he walked in, his boots leaving an echo in their wake. There was nothing but chaos before him. A smashed computer was trashed in the middle of the floor, a network of wires protruding from the busted casing. Curtains were ripped and tattered lumps of fabric, thrown onto the bed and across the entire room. The bed itself was in disarray, the sheets and blankets a tangled mess. The window was heavily cracked, the damage spreading over the entire surface. Photographs, many of him and GIR, were scattered about. There were also a few more Irken corpses. He snarled to himself; how could four Irkens fall to the inferior pig-beasts? He was hissing as he moved in farther, wincing when something crunched under his foot. He scowled and bent down, roughly picking the object from the floor. He stared, surprised, at what he held: black framed glasses, the lenses crushed beyond any point of use. He surveyed the room more closely; this meant Dib was near.

He glanced about him, giving every corner a finely tuned look. Rubies became sharp as he sighted the closed closet; would the human be cowardly enough to hide there? He smirked angrily, stalking over to the closet and brutally pulling it open. A pile of unused clothes fell to the ground, a bloodied rag among them. He blinked at that, his smirk tightening in fury. _Dib-worm better not be alive. _He cautiously picked it up, glowering venomously down at the material. The stain was old, definitely from long before today. He sighed in minute relief, viciously throwing the cloth away. He proceeded to leave the room, stealthily returning to the empty hallway.

His next choice was the door over to the right, the entrance already partly open. He shoved it the rest of the way and speedily made entry. This room was drastically different from the last one. It was covered in dust, giving off an unlived in feeling. There were footsteps obvious in the grey coat, drops of scarlet glittering in the dull light emitting from the doorway. He grimaced in distaste, moving further in with a drawn-out pace. As he walked, he glimpsed a series of pictures lined up in a neat row on a table. Consumed with a curiosity strangely similar to the one that led to the child's corpse, he made his way over to them. The first was in a silver-plated frame, propped solidly at the table's front. It showed a young woman, most likely in her early twenties, holding a baby boy. She was smiling, though her green eyes were deceptively bright, a hidden sadness burning in them. In the second, it was the same woman, her amethyst hair cut shorter. She held a baby girl in her lithe arms, tired eyes ringed by dark circles. In the third, this one encased within synthetic bronze, was a photo of three teenage girls, each wearing versions of a school uniform. In the middle of the group was a rose haired girl, pale azure eyes glimmering with joy. She had one of her arms around two girls, both with shades of purple hair. The one to her left was the woman from before, just displayed at an even younger age. Amethyst fell to her shoulders in twin braids, green eyes innocent and cheerful. To the pink girl's right was another girl, her lavender hair coiled into tight curls, wrapping around her head like a crown. Her clover eyes were closed, her smile mindless and without emotion. As he saw the last of the photographs, he was oddly chilled, a shiver running unbidden down his spine. He seethed at his nerves and marched forward.

He found what he was searching for at the far wall, the body resting limply against it. Scarlet had run in thick rivers across the skin, staining it thickly and permanently. There were two pools of it on the floor, corrupting the cerulean carpet. The dark hair was dripping with blood, a few locks of it missing. The untamable scythe was drooping into the white face, blocking one amber eye. Zim took his time in walking over to Dib's corpse, relishing in the proof of his final, successful bid for domination.

As soon as he was right at his former enemy's side, he knelt down, smiling broadly in elation. He crooked a gloved claw beneath the pale chin and forced the head upward. Half-lidded, lifeless amber met with jubilant ruby. The Irken was smirking sinfully, leaning forward, as though he were going to share a private sentiment. "I win, Dib-fool. And you lose." As he went to release his hold, the eyes snapped fully open, amber ablaze with haunting rage, all consuming vengeance. Both Dib's dead hands dashed forward, blunt nails digging into jade skin through the Irken uniform. Forest green blood welled up from the indentations, the Invader gaping in horror at the Dib's abrupt movements. He struggled wildly, desperate for freedom. He brought the grip, falling backwards from the force. The deceased teen rose to his feet, wobbling before regaining a proper balance, scythe lock still hanging in his face. The creature smiled insanely, sadistically as he moved to the alien, its feet squishing as they met the carpet.

He scrambled away, too stunned to be able to stand. He winced as he hit the wall, crawling into himself against the barrier. The thing kept moving towards him, his gait uneven and pained. He started to claw at the solidness at his back when the Dib was before him, crouching dreadfully close. His eyes widened as blue lips pulled back into a demented grin, bloodied teeth displayed to him. He shuddered in disgust, slithering further away. The human simply reached forward, his scarlet hands questing for him. He clenched his eyes closed as the hands reached for him…and stared as he found himself again kneeling before the human, his hands fisted at his sides. He blinked in confusion, peering disbelievingly at the unmoved corpse. His blood froze at the sight of the expression; Dib, where he had before been grimacing, was now smirking. Looking at the change, he was suddenly afraid.

2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-

They watched the bewildered Irken from the shadows, gold and vermilion shining cruelly. They turned to each other, vermilion nodding crisply to gold. The golden one stared evenly at vermilion before returning the gesture, silently allowing itself to begin the game.

"_Screaming, scheming, they rave in the dark"_

"_Screaming, scheming, ranting something sinfully stark," _vermilion joined in. They smiled at one another when Zim jumped, gazing fearfully around himself.  
"_Bloodied souls screeching in twisted pain"_

"_Living, dying, hating, and loving again with strain." _The Invader glared at nothing, forcing himself to ignore the fear. Their smiles grew.

"_Martyrs glowing with tainted purity"_

"_Are shadowed with devilish mockery." _He gritted his teeth, a low rumbling emitting from within his chest. They were absolutely gleeful.

"_The Violated storm in contempt"_

"_It is they who will lead the attempt." _He had had enough. "Show yourselves. ZIM demands it!" They giggled in response.

"_Murdered, delirious and crazed, weep and shout"_

"_Desiring freedom, a way out." _ He hissed deeply, antennae flattening. "You dare to deny my greatness?"

"_The Betrayed, the very worst, join the Lost"_

"_Together, they reveal the cost." _He lost it, rubies eyes wild as he pulled viciously at the black stalks. "Show yourselves!" With a burst of power, they obliged.

"_Screaming, scheming, they hunt their prey"  
"Screaming, scheming, on the endless day."_

"_Pity the souls cast astray, the unwilling sacrifice"_

"_The One alone will pay the price."_

"_With a haunting yell they emerge and seek"_

"_Their victim, the source of the leak."_

"_Screaming, scheming, we Sisters sing"_

"_As the Violator, the Murderer, is left a dead king."_

"_Unredeemed, the King falls"_

"_Unredeemed, the King loses all." _They finished with a flourish, looking expectantly at the Invader.

Zim stared at them, antennae lowered defensively. He wasn't remotely sure what to make of this. Two girls stood before him, clothed in something he had never seen, the style of their robes lost centuries ago. One had silver hair, her golden eyes mirror like, deceptively childish. Her Sister was the opposite; her hair was midnight black, her eyes an ancient vermilion. They both had mistrusting smiles, pensively waiting for him to speak once more. They were rewarded for their efforts. "Who are you? And why were you singing?" The question made their grins grow, eyes shimmering evilly.

_Children of Death, of Demise_

_Telling nothing but Truths and bitter Lies._

_Timeless, ageless, We Sisters are here_

_We are the One True Fear._

_Before the Sky and the Sun_

_There was Us, having nothing but fun._

_We whispered in the Garden, tainting foolish Eve_

_Oh no, poor thing is left alone to grieve._

_Pride, Lust, and Greed, are all part of our tasks_

_Sloth, Wrath, Gluttony, and Envy mere masks._

_We are the Sisters of the Serpent Song, to which all begin_

_We are the Sisters of the Serpent Song, Heirs of Sin._

They laughed as they finished, staring the Invader dead in the eye. Rubies widened as a flurry of emotions ran through him, memories joining in the jumbled broadcast. He whimpered, falling to his knees, hands clenched at his temples. As the information settled, he shook, his body full of tremors. "What was that?" They smiled again, the vermilion one placing a finger to her lips.

_We are the Sisters of the Serpent Song, revealing all that is Wrong_

_Oh, what do you know, We were here all along._

There was a sudden shift and they vanished, nothing giving evidence they had ever been there.

3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-

Once the singing had first started, Zim frantically had searched for the source. His earlier scare had made him edgy and the weird encounter with the girls wasn't helping him cope. He shakily started to walk down the stairs, blatantly moving around Gaz as he descended. He spared the dead soldier a momentary glance, bowing his head in a gesture of respect. The Irken had most likely died at Gaz's hand, if the emerald blood had anything to say. He quickly left through the front door, stumbling down the front steps. He righted himself and continued on his path, strolling quickly through the deathly streets.

Unbeknownst to him, eyes watched from the darkness, black energy gathering in shadowed places. The growing swarm was mute, sunken orbs piercing through the gloom. They were only shades at this point, patiently biding their time. One, less wraith like mass, separated from the others and skittered oddly out into the dull light. It joined with another, which hadn't ceased in its insistent trailing of the Invader. Together, they dogged the alien's progress.

His boots disturbed the rubble, kicking wisps of dust and decay into the thickening air. He ignored most of it, pausing once to wipe a speck of dirt from his cheek. Rubies were clouded with thought, bright with intensity. _'What did I see back at the Dib's body? It couldn't possibly have been real. It must have been some earthen anomaly. No member of the Irken elite would ever hallucinate.' _"Yes. It was some kind of…earthy disruption thingy. Nothing to worry about." His mouth formed into a confident smile, assured with his declaration. He suppressed the whisper that hinted that this wasn't the right conclusion.

He was nearing the end of the lane when the thing crashed into him, knocking him back. He growled angrily, glaring at the bowed figure, panting and hunched at the waist. Long tendrils of deep brown hair fell in front of its face, heavily tangled and knotted. He could hear its gasping breaths, rasping in and out of the lungs. He hissed at the human before him, reaching towards his pak to retrieve a weapon. A slot opened in the middle of the pak, ejecting a slim laser. He smirked as he withdrew the hand, gently placing a finger on the trigger. He roughly reached forward, aiming to twine fingers through hair. He was thwarted as the human skidded backwards, his fingers only skimming the length of hair. He glowered malevolently, growling as he aimed the laser impatiently, zealous in destroying all the humans once and for all.

She was swaying where she stood, body moving with a misguided sense of balance. She righted herself drunkenly, raising a hand to a cheek. She ran thin fingers along the flesh, grinning inanely to herself. She had felt the fleeting touch to her hair and peered up through the curtain it gave, tilting her head curiously when she realized what the Invader was doing. Seeing where the weapon was pointed, she laughed, hysterically and madly. She started to shake with humor, idly wrapping an arm around her stomach to attempt to regulate her breathing. She was gasping as her mood decided abruptly to change, her smile turning to a contemplating frown. Her sick eyes observed the Irken carefully, her vision being filtered through her broken mind. She froze as recognition set in, grey-green eyes widening in terror. "I know you," she whispered, icy horror echoing in her words. "I know you!"

He had been prepared to fire, to kill her, when she started to laugh, the hysteria clear within it. But he had heard the underlying tones of dementia and halted, narrowing rubies as he warily waited for her to calm. Her emaciated shoulders shook with hilarity, her entire form trembling. He stiffened cautiously when she suddenly stopped, her own body becoming rigid. Darkly innocent grey-green locked with ruby, the former gleaming with terrified contempt. At her words, his antennae twitched, lowering slightly at her tone. He glared heatedly, fingers gripping the nearly forgotten laser, the weapon rising in aggression. "What are you talking about?" He gave the pretense of awaiting a response, boldly plotting to turn the situation in his favor.

She roughly shook her head, deep brown locks whipping almost fiercely into her face. She rocked back onto the balls of her feet, impishly smiling in horrid naïveté. She shakily pushed a rogue hair from her eyes, peering analytically at the Irken. Her thin body shuddered in increasing volumes, her lean chest stretching the once sky-blue of her shirt with heavy, strained breaths. She shivered again, her eyes clenching closed in some unknown fear. She whimpered to herself, long fingers twining through earthy brown. As quickly as the terror fit had come, it ended. She growled lowly, violently, wildly, bringing her nails down her cheekbones, angry red scratches left in their wake. She brutally continued the personal assault, stilling only when crimson trails dripped hauntingly down her face. She grinned with satisfaction when the crimson left her chin, dribbling to the tainted earth.

Zim stared uncomprehendingly at the sight laid out before him, the macabre self-mutilation oddly spell-binding. He was drawn to the glistening trails of crimson marring her flesh, the soon to be scars grotesque and fascinating. As she maintained the quirky smile, he stopped, rubies widening in bewildered alarm. Slowly, right before his eyes, the wounds closed, the deep gouges healing in minutes. He was chilled, a tremor racing down his spine, as it only had at the alteration of the Dib's corpse. The girl's grin flashed menacingly, a corruption bubbling beneath its surface. She placed clasped hands at her waist, bowing in mocking admiration. "You are the single most idiotic being to ever step foot on this planet." There was a horrid beauty in her smile then.

He gritted in his teeth at the insult, his jaws locking under the affronted pressure. He kept his eyes focused on hers; somehow knowing that turning away would mean a defeat. Dull, cadaverous grey-green gazed steadily back, the madness within daring him to challenge it. He cast her another contentious look before he spoke. "You mock the might that is ZIM?" She gave no reaction, except the slight increase to the curve of her smile. "Prepare to witness the power that is I, ZIM!" He speedily drew the laser upward, aiming then firing in the time of barely half a second. The focused energy hit her, throwing her ruthlessly to the ground.

He casually replaced the weapon back into his pak, confident that its job had been done. He marched over to the lightly smoking remains and gave the girl's prone form a cursory glance. Satisfied with what he saw, he made to move on, halted unexpected by a grab on one of his ankles. He was pulled strongly backwards, the human using him as leverage to remove herself from the dirt. He hissed, attempting riskily to regain his own footing. She grunted in response, tugging even harder. They ended up with the Invader slumped, the girl kneeling on her hands and knees. She had, inexplicably, released her hold on his foot. Regaining his calm, he seethed at her, proudly moving to right himself. This time, she had latched herself onto his shirt.

Digging filth covered nails into the uniform, she grudgingly managed to get into a half standing squat, her knees residing on the ground as her weight was held precariously by her hold. The alien tried to push her away, the shift in position only threatening to unbalance him as well. Taking advantage of his sudden disorientation, she forced her way into his face, cool breath fanning out onto his cheeks. "You let her out," she alleged, regretful grief flowing through her at the mention of the appalling act. As rubies burned with confused rage, she smirked insanely, grey-green glittering with corruption. "You damned bastard. You set her free!" Her condemnation ringing around them, blasphemous blame settling coldly on Zim.

4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-

Well, hope it was enjoyable. Please review!


End file.
